Are atheists irrational?

[BilliardsBall]

And "God will speak to you at 8 PM tomorrow, EDT" wasn't "revealed to you by God"?


I'd do more than that... as long as the claim that he would be there was credible.

But you ARE saying that God told you he would communicate with me yesterday at 8:00, right?

No, what happened was I felt God wished to communicate with you at 8, however, you were clearly uninterested. I said communicate/talk, not "give you a biblical-like sign or wonder".

Thus, the problem.

 

[BilliardsBall]

He also said to pray in secret, but IIRC, you do a lot of your praying in public schools.

Clearly, you haven't set foot in a public school for some time.

 

[blü 2]

Jesus never said the Christian position is indefensible. He directed Christians be effective in sharing and discern when someone is interested in evidence or when someone disbelieves despite reasonable evidence.

You have no basis at all for thinking I'm not interested in reasonable evidence. On the exact contrary, I keep asking you for it, and you keep weaving and ducking, exactly as though you had none.

 

[BilliardsBall]

So your whole purpose here on RF is to directly disobey Jesus?

I mean, with all the whining you do about how everyone "mistreats" you and yet you still push your beliefs here on RF like a drug dealer on a street corner....

An interesting concept. Fortunately, although skeptics attack Christian posts everywhere, lurkers hear, see, understand . . . so in a sense, you are helping me further evangelism.

THANKS!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Clearly, you haven't set foot in a public school for some time.

What's that supposed to mean?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

No, what happened was I felt God wished to communicate with you at 8, however, you were clearly uninterested. I said communicate/talk, not "give you a biblical-like sign or wonder".

Thus, the problem.

That isn't what you said before. Your prediction didn't come true and now you're backpedalling.

How often do you do this? Is this how you managed your "100%" track record?

BTW: if your new version of what happened is true, then I managed to thwart God's will. This doesn't create any theological problems for you?

 

[McBell]

An interesting concept. Fortunately, although skeptics attack Christian posts everywhere, lurkers hear, see, understand . . . so in a sense, you are helping me further evangelism.

THANKS!

Impossible to take you seriously when you brush your blatant hypocrisy under the rug and move on as though it does not exist.

 

[BilliardsBall]

What's that supposed to mean?

You made a claim that Christians "do a lot of prayer in public schools." Clearly, you work in no U.S. public school!

 

[BilliardsBall]

That isn't what you said before. Your prediction didn't come true and now you're backpedalling.

How often do you do this? Is this how you managed your "100%" track record?

BTW: if your new version of what happened is true, then I managed to thwart God's will. This doesn't create any theological problems for you?

I never wrote "God will present you a miracle sign at 8 PM."

It creates zero problems for me that a person thwarts God's will by being nonresponsive to God. The Bible has hundreds of verses on this very topic.

The question is, how do you normally respond when you learn that a stranger wants to pursue a relationship with you that will be of benefit to you? (No, I don't want his job/money/time/friendship/love until he comes to me on my terms and proves his desire.)

The way it works, as you know, is that if you care for someone and they don't love you, bashing down their door to bring them hugs and gifts isn't going to change their love. God will not pursue the uninterested after He has graciously given them some opportunities for relationship.

 

[BilliardsBall]

You have no basis at all for thinking I'm not interested in reasonable evidence. On the exact contrary, I keep asking you for it, and you keep weaving and ducking, exactly as though you had none.

What would you consider reasonable evidence? I want to define terms with you more carefully, since you've accused me recently of doublethink and being unreasonable.

 

[BilliardsBall]

Impossible to take you seriously when you brush your blatant hypocrisy under the rug and move on as though it does not exist.

Blatant hypocrisy would be to know the love of Christ and avoid discussing Him in forums.

What are thinking of here? What have I done?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You made a claim that Christians "do a lot of prayer in public schools." Clearly, you work in no U.S. public school!

I was referring to your involvement in the so-called "Good News Club" in public schools. That was you, wasn't it?

And as it happens, I've done volunteer work in American public schools occasionally (science education, not treating kids as some sort of mission field), but I work with Canadian schools much more often, for obvious reasons.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I never wrote "God will present you a miracle sign at 8 PM."

You said that God would communicate with me at a specific time on a specific date. You said this after you explained that your way to tell when God is communicating with you is that you "feel a prompting from God." I felt no "prompting" or anything else that I would interpret as a sign that God is trying to communicate with me.

You thought that God had told you something. That thing turned out to be wrong, so after the fact, you changed the parameters to make it no longer appear wrong. This is dishonest. What you did is dishonest.

It creates zero problems for me that a person thwarts God's will by being nonresponsive to God. The Bible has hundreds of verses on this very topic.

So my will is stronger than God's? I didn't know I had it in me.

The question is, how do you normally respond when you learn that a stranger wants to pursue a relationship with you that will be of benefit to you? (No, I don't want his job/money/time/friendship/love until he comes to me on my terms and proves his desire.)

Who's the stranger in your analogy: you or God?

If it's you, then I'd treat you like any other salesperson who uses shady tactics: with suspicion and caution.

If it's God, then you're assuming facts not in evidence.

The way it works, as you know, is that if you care for someone and they don't love you, bashing down their door to bring them hugs and gifts isn't going to change their love. God will not pursue the uninterested after He has graciously given them some opportunities for relationship.

All I'm doing is applying the only test you've given us. I thought your religion was againsy hypocrisy... or is your version of the religion one that doesn't care about the preachings of Jesus?

 

[blü 2]

What would you consider reasonable evidence? I want to define terms with you more carefully, since you've accused me recently of doublethink and being unreasonable.

Since (as I just wrote to you in another thread) you say he exists independently of anyone's imagination ie has objective existence, give us a satisfactory demonstration of a real Jesus. A recent photo wouldn't be sufficient, but it'd be an interesting start.

 

[BilliardsBall]

I was referring to your involvement in the so-called "Good News Club" in public schools. That was you, wasn't it?

And as it happens, I've done volunteer work in American public schools occasionally (science education, not treating kids as some sort of mission field), but I work with Canadian schools much more often, for obvious reasons.

I did abstinence education in local schools, not a Good News Club.

 

[BilliardsBall]

You said that God would communicate with me at a specific time on a specific date. You said this after you explained that your way to tell when God is communicating with you is that you "feel a prompting from God." I felt no "prompting" or anything else that I would interpret as a sign that God is trying to communicate with me.

You thought that God had told you something. That thing turned out to be wrong, so after the fact, you changed the parameters to make it no longer appear wrong. This is dishonest. What you did is dishonest.


So my will is stronger than God's? I didn't know I had it in me.


Who's the stranger in your analogy: you or God?

If it's you, then I'd treat you like any other salesperson who uses shady tactics: with suspicion and caution.

If it's God, then you're assuming facts not in evidence.


All I'm doing is applying the only test you've given us. I thought your religion was againsy hypocrisy... or is your version of the religion one that doesn't care about the preachings of Jesus?

No, you asked me how I know God is talking to me--He prompts me, but I also know His voice and have a relationship with Him. You were informed God wished to communicate with you, and you watched television during that time, a sure way to be focused on communication with an important person.

I've given you a number of tests. Tithe to your local evangelical/biblical church and watch money miracles happen, for example. Have you done so? (That's right--you won't even pray to God unless you first know He will answer you to your full satisfaction.)

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I did abstinence education in local schools, not a Good News Club.

I have to apologize. I remembered the conversation, but mis-remembered who I had been talking to. It was @omega2xx, not you:

The First Amendment be Damned.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

No, you asked me how I know God is talking to me--He prompts me, but I also know His voice and have a relationship with Him. You were informed God wished to communicate with you, and you watched television during that time, a sure way to be focused on communication with an important person.

So that's why your communication from God failed to come true? Because I wasn't paying attention?

I've given you a number of tests. Tithe to your local evangelical/biblical church and watch money miracles happen, for example. Have you done so? (That's right--you won't even pray to God unless you first know He will answer you to your full satisfaction.)

I'm not going to fund immoral causes just to prove your baseless claims false.

If some effect of tithing really is a reliable way to demonstrate the existence of God, you can provide an example in someone else. There are plenty of tithers in the world.

 

[BilliardsBall]

So that's why your communication from God failed to come true? Because I wasn't paying attention?


I'm not going to fund immoral causes just to prove your baseless claims false.

If some effect of tithing really is a reliable way to demonstrate the existence of God, you can provide an example in someone else. There are plenty of tithers in the world.

Again, you have it as "a communication from God" and I have "a communication with God", but yes. Pay attention, 007!

Instead of tithing, why not simply ask God for revelation, but give Him a time limit? I meet a lot of people who fail to pray about a time like "soon" and don't hear from God until years later.

 

[Mister Silver]

I have "a communication with God", .

Lots of kids have communications with invisible beings, they're called imaginary friends. Plenty of adults have communications with invisible beings, and those adults are in mental wards or taking medication for their mental issues.